MathML Presentation Markup for the Impatient

Use this element to group any number of subexpressions horizontally.

Use this element to specify an identifier, that is, the name of a variable, a constant, a function, etc.

If this name is just one character long, the identifier is automatically rendered using an italic font, otherwise the name is rendered using a normal, upright, font.

Use this element to specify an operator (e.g. '+'), a fence (e.g. '{') or a separator (e.g. ',').

The appropriate amount of space is added on the left and on the right of an mo depending on the textual contents of this element. Example: if in the above expression you replace <mo>+</mo> by <mo>,</mo>, this will suppress the space at the left of the mo element.

Use this element to specify a numeric literal.

For example, PI should be specified as <mi>PI</mi> and not as <mn>PI</mn> while 3.14 should be specified as <mn>3.14</mn> and not as <mi>3.14</mi>.

Use this element to specify a square root. Example:

<msqrt>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mo>+</mo>
  <mi>y</mi>
</msqrt>

Note that, like a number of other MathML elements (mstyle, merror, menclose, mpadded, mphantom, mtd and math), msqrt may have one or more child elements. Below the radical sign, msqrt behaves as if it had an implicit mrow element grouping all its child elements.

Use this element to specify a radical with an arbitrary index. Example:

<mroot>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mn>3</mn>
</mroot>

Unlike msqrt, mroot may only have two child elements. First child element is the base of the root. Second child element is its index. If you need more that one element below the radical sign, then use an explicit mrow element.

Use this element to attach a subscript to a base. Example:

<msub>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mi>i</mi>
</msub>

Use this element to attach a superscript to a base. Example:

<msup>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mi>j</mi>
</msup>

Use this element to attach both a subscript and a superscript to a base. Example:

<msubsup>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mi>i</mi>
  <mi>j</mi>
</msubsup>

Use this element to attach a underscript to a base. Example:

<munder>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mo>&#9472;</mo>
</munder>

Use this element to attach a overscript to a base. Example:

<mover>
  <mi>v</mi>
  <mo>&#8594;</mo>
</mover>

Use this element to attach both a underscript and a overscript to a base. Example:

<munderover>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mi>a</mi>
  <mi>b</mi>
</munderover>

Use this element to specify a quoted string literal. Example:

<ms>Hello word!</ms>

The mfenced element is a shorthand notation for common forms of mrow. Example:

<mfenced>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mi>y</mi>
  <mi>z</mi>
</mfenced>

is equivalent to:

<mrow>
  <mo>(</mo>
  <mi>x</mi>
  <mo>,</mo>
  <mi>y</mi>
  <mo>,</mo>
  <mi>z</mi>
  <mo>)</mo>
</mrow>

The open, separators and close attributes of an mfenced element specify the opening fence added before its first child element, the separators added between child elements and the closing fence added after its last child element. By default, the values of these attributes are "(", "," and ")".

The menclose element allows to draw lines, typically a box, around its child elements. Example:

<menclose notation="box">
  <mi>n</mi>
  <mo>!</mo>
</menclose>

The notation attribute of an menclose element specify which kind of lines are drawn around the child elements. The allowed values for this attribute are: longdiv (default value), actuarial, radical, box, roundedbox, circle, left, right, top, bottom, updiagonalstrike, downdiagonalstrike, verticalstrike, horizontalstrike.

The mpadded element allows to add padding, that is extra space, around its child elements. It's an alternative to using mspace. Example:

<mrow>
  <mpadded width="+1ex">
    <mtext>if</mtext>
  </mpadded>
  <mrow>
    <mi>x</mi>
    <mo>=</mo>
    <mi>y</mi>
  </mrow>
  <mpadded lspace="1ex" width="+2ex">
    <mtext>then</mtext>
  </mpadded>
  <mrow>
    <mrow>
      <mi>a</mi>
      <mi>x</mi>
    </mrow>
    <mo>=</mo>
    <mrow>
      <mi>a</mi>
      <mi>y</mi>
    </mrow>
  </mrow>
</mrow>

The attributes allowing to specify the padding are:

The mphantom element transforms its descendant elements into ‘‘phantoms'': they are there, they occupy some space, but you cannot see them. The mphantom element is often the only way to properly align some elements. Example:

<mrow>
  <mfrac>
    <mn>1</mn>
    <msup>
      <mi>x</mi>
      <mphantom>
        <msup>
          <mi>y</mi>
          <mi>z</mi>
        </msup>
      </mphantom>
    </msup>
  </mfrac>
  <mo>+</mo>
  <mfrac>
    <mn>1</mn>
    <msup>
      <mi>x</mi>
      <msup>
        <mi>y</mi>
        <mi>z</mi>
      </msup>
    </msup>
  </mfrac>
</mrow>

The mstyle element allows to specify attributes which are intended to be inherited by all its descendant elements. As such, the mstyle element supports all the attributes of all the other MathML elements.

The most commonly used attributes are those used to style the mi, mo, mn and mtext text container elements:

Example:

<mstyle mathbackground="yellow" mathcolor="navy" mathsize="16pt"
        mathvariant="bold">
  <mrow>
    <mi>x</mi>
    <mo>+</mo>
    <mi>y</mi>
  </mrow>
  <mo>=</mo>
  <mn mathcolor="red">2</mn>
</mstyle>

Use this element to properly align a set of equations. Each inserted maligngroup specifies a ``sub-column'' within the column of an mtable. The groupalign attribute of the mtable element specifies the horizontal alignment within each ``sub-column''. Example:

<mrow>
  <mo>{</mo>
  <mtable groupalign="{right center right center right}">
    <mtr>
      <mtd>
        <mrow>
          <mrow>
            <mrow>
              <maligngroup/>
              <mn>2</mn>
              <mo>&#8290;</mo>
              <mi>x</mi>
            </mrow>
            <maligngroup/>
            <mo>+</mo>
            <maligngroup/>
            <mi>y</mi>
          </mrow>
          <maligngroup/>
          <mo>=</mo>
          <maligngroup/>
          <mn>8</mn>
        </mrow>
      </mtd>
    </mtr>
    <mtr>
      <mtd>
        <mrow>
          <mrow>
            <maligngroup/>
            <mi>x</mi>
            <maligngroup/>
            <mo>+</mo>
            <maligngroup/>
            <mi>y</mi>
          </mrow>
          <maligngroup/>
          <mo>=</mo>
          <maligngroup/>
          <mn>6</mn>
        </mrow>
      </mtd>
    </mtr>
  </mtable>
</mrow>

The value of the groupalign attribute has the following syntax: one "{...}" group per column. A "{...}" group contains one alignment specification per sub-column (that is, per maligngroup). Alignment specifications are: left, center or right.